WE DEY

“Recording Our Histories” by Rudy Loewe
31th of January – 6th of February 2019

We are excited to welcome Rudy Loewe for a one weeks art residency & solo exhibition at WE DEY x SPACE.

During their residency Rudy Loewe would like to invite BPoC to be interviewed as part of their exhibition at WE DEY. The focus of the interviews is to document BPoC experiences of an Austrian context. These collected narratives will then be used to build up the exhibition space, over the course of the week. Pieces of the recorded interviews will feature in the exhibition space as part of an audio installation, as well as visual responses being created by Rudy to go alongside this. This is part of a larger body of work that Rudy is creating, questioning in what ways we document, collect and preserve our histories; and how we can take autonomy over this.

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FINISSAGE: open to everyone!
6th of February 6pm -10pm
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Accessibility Infos:

X SPACE is accessible via a ramp. The ramp is 76 cm wide and the slope is 9 %. For more information please contact us!
The closest wheelchair accessible toilet is @ Café Oben, Urban-Loritz-Platz. It’s a five minutes distance.

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about WE DEY x space

WE DEY x space is dedicated to amplify the art and culture production for and by Queer/Trans*/Inter/Black People/People of Color

WE DEY x space aims to center marginalised voices, perspectives, knowledges and experiences from different diasporas

“Rememory: Ritual Blackness and Beyond” by Khaleb Brooks
14th of June – 30th of June 2018

We are excited to welcome Khaleb Brooks for a two weeks art residency & solo exhibition at WE DEY x SPACE.

Khaleb Brooks is a multi- media artist whose work is founded on research of ancestral knowledge and oral histories. Through painting, sculpture and photography Khaleb explores the role of memory in disrupting ideologies that maintain time as linear and fixed. By reviving ancestral cosmologies, creating assemblages of fragmented identities and engaging with generational trauma he seeks to re- imagine the notions of progress embedded in colonial and capitalist histories. The solo exhibition “Rememory: Ritual Blackness and Beyond” deals with thoughts and concepts of blackness as ritual and spaces of non- being as well as attempts to transcend these spaces.

FINISSAGE:
30th of June 6pm -10pm
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How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn’t know you or your art works yet?

I am a collector of found objects and forgotten information. Rusted metal and dry rotted wood, homemade zines, colonial maps, footage of laughter in the Andes, hand drums, rusted lunch boxes, Tibetan prayer flags, other people’s trash and outdated encyclopedias. They are not always straightforward or clear representations, but are stories. They are memories mapping histories, geographies and identities. They complicate time. This is what drives me. I have learned to listen a bit harder. To piece together not just what is said but to include cracked skin on tired hands and the glow of candles at midnight. I am determined to (re)document moments that have layers slowly peeling away, encompassing a variety of worlds yet to be seen. I am determined to not just capture them, but to let them speak for themselves.

I’m a black, transgender, AFAB, punk kid from the southside of Chicago. I’m an artist that doesn’t see my work as seperate from my politics. In Baldwin’s words, “The poets (by which I mean all artists) are finally the only people who know the truth about us. Soldiers don’t. Statesmen don’t. Priests don’t. Union leaders don’t. Only poets.” My work is an attempt at an honest understanding of myself with hopes of contributing to a greater understanding of who we all are.

How would you position yourself in the art world? Do you feel any connection to current or past people or movements (also outside the art world)?

I’m an outsider when it comes to the art world. Which on one hand is a perk as I don’t have to aspire to be included in a canon that wasn’t meant for me in the first place. On the other hand the institutional support, or lack thereof, directly affects my ability to make work. I’m at a stalemate really, having to grapple with a market I’m not interested in just for my work to be undervalued. When it comes to movements, I’m most inspired by liberatory struggles, the Black Panthers, Zapatistas and Afrofuturism. And when it comes to people, writers such as Toni Morrison, Baldwin, Achille Mbembe, Fred Moten, Sadiyah Hartman and Yrsa Daley- Ward continue to affect my feelings about the world and my place in it. Artists such as Kerry James Marshall, Kara Walker, Sun Mu, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Ren Hang, Njideka Akunyili Crosby are my current inspirations and have laid the groundwork for any future success I may have.

Can you tell us more about the series you are going to exhibit at WE DEY x space and what interests you in showing your works in this specific context of WE DEY x SPACE in Vienna?

The works I’m exhibiting all have an underlying thread of ritual processes. They are ultimately concerned with blackness as ritual, spaces of non- being and attempting to transcend that space. Works from the Summoning Spirits series will be featured as well as a painting of writer and presenter Emma Dabiri and writer/ model Yrsa Daley- Ward. The painting of Emma Dabiri speaks to the complexities of black hair, as I attempt to exemplify both it’s beauty and political implications through a collage of materials. Hair, our attitudes toward it and the processes in which we attempt to tame it, let it free, style it, run from it and embrace it greatly influenced the piece. The work of Yrsa Daley- Ward, emerging storyteller and actress, is a recognition of how personal narratives in themselves can be a platform. How can the rituals that keep us alive, thriving and whole affect the lives of others? How do memories, collective memory, secrets and the seemingly mundane transform us? These are the questions writers like Yrsa are answering in their work, this is what I want to capture. The term ‘rememory’ in the title of the show is a direct reference Toni Morrison’s use of the word in her novel Beloved.

WE DEY x space is truly the first of its kind, in my lifetime at least. A collective and gallery space that specifically shows and supports Queer poc artists!? Who would have thought! And it is no coincidence that my second solo show, and first in a gallery, would be in this type of space. WEY DEY x is a space created by Queer/ Trans POC artists for Queer/ Trans POC artists. It is a safe space where I can show my work, get feedback and develop projects with like minded individuals. As someone who falls into the emerging artist category having a show in a space like this is ideal. I can engage with my practice without having to worry about institutional racism and transphobic perceptions.

What sparked your interest in reviving what has been forgotten- how do you link your art to ancestral memory and what outcomes do you imagine?

An interest in forgotten information was sparked by my own family. Secrets, fears, dreams and genealogies were a staple in my childhood. I’ll never forget when I learned the name Amos Taggert during a conversation with my grandmother about how she monitored my mum for schizophrenia. He was the Irishman that raped my great grandmother Rita Mae Bell when she was 13, and had my grandfather as a result. She is still alive, and has been in a mental institution since the 40s. And with that background and my grandmother’s mother who spent her life in a mental institution, she didn’t think my mother had a chance. Another example is the photograph I was show of my family on plantation steps. Or even the photograph of my third, maybe fourth great aunt, an ex slave wearing a fur coat. How’d she get that fur coat, I’d ask. Or how come this aunt is light and that ones not. And my grandmother would say, oh here’s another photo of the plantation owner (slave master), also your ancestor. The stories go on and on and got more scandalous and ridden with pain as I got older, some I can’t repeat, not yet.

Many people in the African diaspora don’t know their histories and even those that do, it’s more of an idea. These fragments, real and invented are my true medium and I’m still learning the best ways to convey their meanings. At the moment portraiture is the predominant way I attempt to make linkages between ancestral memory and art. None of us, and I speak particularly to black transgender folks, are new stand alone representations of ourselves. And through our faces and the faces of black folk in general I’m acknowledging a lost trajectory, forgotten ancestral knowledge and place our experiences within a context that isn’t just a manifestation of colonialism or even post- colonial discourse. African cosmologies have always included us and I’d just like to tell that story.

As part of your residency at WE DEY x space, we invited you to host an evening. Can you tell us more about what you have planned, who it is for and what are you imagining as a possible outcome?

I’ll be hosting two evenings in the space. One evening I’ll be screening a short documentary by long time friend and Intersex activist Pidgeon Pagonis, called The Son I Never Had. Afterwards Pidgeon will Skype in and we’ll have a discussion about their experiences, activism, and how art/ media affects their life and struggle for change. This is for everyone. When we discuss LGBTQ lives, we still forget the I for Intersex. I hope this creates greater understanding of that experience for everyone and help us understand what we as artists can do for our community.

I’ll also be hosting a comic book workshop where we discuss character development, storyboarding and the history of Queer and POC comics.

“Rememory: Ritual Blackness and Beyond” by Khaleb Brooks14th of June – 30th of June 2018

We are excited to welcome Khaleb Brooks for a two weeks art residency & solo exhibition at WE DEY x SPACE.

Khaleb Brooks is a multi- media artist whose work is founded on research of ancestral knowledge and oral histories. Through painting, sculpture and photography Khaleb explores the role of memory in disrupting ideologies that maintain time as linear and fixed. By reviving ancestral cosmologies, creating assemblages of fragmented identities and engaging with generational trauma he seeks to re- imagine the notions of progress embedded in colonial and capitalist histories. The solo exhibition “Rememory: Ritual Blackness and Beyond” deals with thoughts and concepts of blackness as ritual and spaces of non- being as well as attemps to transcend these spaces.

Khaleb Brooks will host a comic book workshop where we will discuss character development, storyboarding and the history of Queer and POC comics. ♥ please register with an email to we.dey.in@gmail.com
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FILMSCREENING OPEN FOR ALL
DATE tba

Screening of short documentary by Intersex activist Pidgeon Pagonis, called The Son I Never Had. Afterwards Pidgeon will Skype in and we’ll have a discussion about their experiences, activism, and how art/ media affects their life and struggle for change. This is for everyone. When we discuss LGBTQ lives, we still forget the I for Intersex. I hope this creates greater understanding of that experience for everyone and help us understand what we as artists can do for our community.
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FINISSAGE:
30th of June 4pm -10pm
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Accessibility Infos:

X SPACE is accessible via a ramp. The ramp is 76 cm wide and the slope is 9 %. For more information please contact us!
The closest wheelchair accessible toilet is @ Café Oben, Urban-Loritz-Platz. It’s a five minutes distance.

* * * * * * * * * * * *
about WE DEY x space

WE DEY x space is dedicated to amplify the art and culture production for and by Queer/Trans*/Inter/Black People/People of Color

WE DEY x space aims to center marginalised voices, perspectives, knowledges and experiences from different diasporas

we kindly invite Black artists and Artists of Color to apply for a fellowship at WE DEY x SPACE! The fellowship is offered by kültüř gemma! and will start on 1st July 2018, the grant covers 1300€ a month (income tax free) over a period of 6 months. During the fellowship you will get insight in the organisation of WE DEY and support ongoing exhibitions and events. At the end of the fellowship you will present your research/project idea at WE DEY x SPACE.

We invite artists, activists, art theorists, historians – who define themselves as Black people or People of Color – to propose a project that focuses on the artistic and activist herstories through “Tracing Queer/Trans*/Inter/Black People/People of Color resistance in Vienna”.

WE DEY has collected a lot of archive material over the past years – from audio & video
material, to newspapers, books, art works etc. We invite the fellow to re-organise and
expand our archive which is centered around art and knowledge production, activism and community work that made it possible for WE DEY to exist today. We understand archiving as a community building tool and we would like the fellow to invite the wider community to share their stories and document them, host round tables, kitchen table talks or film nights and create new materials.

Project dates and requirements
The 6-months fellowship will start beginning of July 2018 and the presentation of the project should be in December 2018 at WE DEY x SPACE. The fellow has to be based in Vienna.

What we have to offer
In collaboration with kültür gemma! WE DEY will support with online and printed publicity and logistical/technical support. We are happy to connect you to other BPoC Artists based in Vienna. We will offer you access to our WE DEY archive and a working space at WE DEY x SPACE.

How to apply

Your application should include the following in one PDF file (in English or German):
• CV/Artist’s statement describing your practice and areas of interest
(up to 250 words)
• A motivational letter that shortly outlines the applicant’s interest in collaborating with
WE DEY x SPACE and that touches on following questions:

1. Is your artistic practice focused around topics such as archiving, collectivity & commu
nity? Tell us more about it!
2. What interests you in a decolonial queer feminist approach to archiving and the histo
ry of BPoC resistance in Vienna?
3. What are your ideas of expanding and working with the WE DEY archive?
(up to 1200 words)

Dear all!
We would like to invite you to celebrate our first anniversary of x SPACE Vienna! Many of you have been with us since the start, many joined us along the way! It’s been one year that we opened X SPACE with art works by Amoako Boafo! There was Space for dancing, writing, discussing, filming, screening, exhibiting and caring. To continue with all that we have planned a full programme for the upcoming (and last) year at Kandlgasse 24. Come and celebrate with us! Support x Space so we can pay our rent and organise all these events, community sessions, SelfCare Days and exhibitions! 🙂

The Deadline is moving closer!! 1 week left to send in your submissions! We are looking forward to hear from you!

Project Dates:

The duration of the projects can range from an evening session, a day, up to 2 weeks in 2018.

What we have to offer:

As a non-profit self-organised art space we offer our venue free of charge, we will support with online and printed publicity and logistical/technical support. We are happy to connect you to other BPoC Artists based in Vienna and to educational programmes that work in local schools. We will provide administrative and curatorial support. If you apply from outside of Vienna we can also offer a guest room in a queer housing project.

We are currently applying for travel costs & production costs, but we cannot promise any financial support yet. Feel free to contact us for more information.

Your application should include the following in one PDF file (in English or German):

A minimum of 10 images of recent projects, with captions and a short description if necessary.

CV/Resume

A project description including
* a list of required equipment & technical support
* preferred dates and links to relevant media (e.g. articles about your work, exhibitions)
* Project goals & target groups (who is the project directed towards, is there an invitation policy, will the programme be open only to a specific group or public and why?)

Poetry book release “General Theory of Failure” by Hamilton Borges Walê from The React or Die Campaign, Bahia/Brazil. The book is in Portuguese and a limited amount will be available for sale. The event is intended for fundraising for the school for children and for the next book.

We want to warmly invite you to IS ID ALL – VOIDS, the final presentation of the Kültür Gemma projects of Nicole Alecu de Flers and Belinda Kazeem- Kamiński. In conversation with Janine Jembere, we will be sharing about our research projects and artistic strategies of dealing with text.

When: 4th of December, 2017 starting from 7 pm

Where: We Dey x Space, Kandlgasse 24, 1070 Wien

There will be food and drinks, donations go to We Dey x Space.

IS ID ALL Nicole Alecu de Flers

(Written) text has a powerful influence on public perception and reception, as it can make certain positions visible and others invisible. Especially printed and published texts are considered to be important conveyors of knowledge. However, this narrating and sharing of knowledge often happens at the expense of positions that are outside the norm, especially with regard to race, gender and sexuality. In order to challenge these in/visibilities, this presentation is based on a broader notion of what text/language is and how it works that goes beyond a narrowly defined textual, literal level. By working with text and language visually and by using strategies from the field of conceptual art, I present new possibilities to shift and shape in/visibilities.

Nicole Alecu de Flers is a political scientist (PhD), founder and director of the publishing house Zaglossus, interdisciplinary artist and university lecturer focusing on Queer, Gender and Postcolonial Studies.

VOIDS Belinda Kazeem-Kamiński

In the tension between white, male knowledge production, the non-existence of direct sources and the recurring feeling of flashbacks, as a memory of something, that one hasn’t experienced, but that haunts and keeps on coming back, Belinda Kazeem-Kamiński deals with the (in-)visibility of Black history in Austria. How to deal with the voids in the archive? How to think about Blackness in a country, where the majority of the population would state, that there is no colonial heritage? In her presentation, the artist tries to negotiate ways of dealing with the voids in the archive and the flashbacks in the everyday. Beyond wishes for a smoothing of and the longing for resistance stories, artistic strategies of dealing with archival material will be discussed, as a way to come to terms with what is under the surface – invisible to many, impossible to shake off for others.

Belinda Kazeem-Kamiński is a writer and artist living in Vienna/Austria. Grounded in Black feminist theory, she is interested in memory, trauma and Black radical imagination.